Chapter 32
Partner
THEO
Safia stands in the middle of her living room, glaring at the dozens of moving boxes. “I swear to God, Theodore, if you don’t finish unpacking by the end of today, I will cut you.”
I moved in ten days ago, the day Vaughan-Morris was arrested. In those ten days, I’ve learned that my Safia is a very…particular woman. Hardly any room for debate when it comes to her space. But now it’s our space, and she knows that I can be equally as demanding.
Truthfully, I’m surprised she asked me to live with her.
She enjoys her privacy, but I suppose she enjoys my cock inside her pretty little cunt every night even more.
I don’t blame her, I’m equally as addicted, equally consumed with every single thing about her.
It’s like she was made for me, the light to my darkness.
Although, given her dirty little desires, I’d wager she has some demons lurking inside that morally gray heart of hers.
I smirk, cocking my head to the side as Maslow, my new roommate, rubs against my ankles.
“You’ve become so…violent, little lamb.” I lick my lips. “I like it. Anger suits you.”
Safia narrows those gorgeous green eyes at me. “I don’t think you’ve seen me truly angry yet.”
I perk a curious brow. “A shame. I want to see all sides of you.” Reining in a sly grin, I bend down and open the flaps to a nearby box.
My gaze skims the neatly folded stacks of clothes, and I pinch a black T-shirt between my fingers.
With a sharp flick of the wrist, the shirt goes flying onto the hardwood. “Oops.”
Safia glowers at me. It’s the cutest little expression, completely fictional. “Pick that up.”
“So bossy.” I click my tongue, grabbing another item of clothing and tossing it on the floor. “Well, would you look at that? Maybe the box is possessed.”
Safia shakes her head, and I can see that she’s biting back a tiny smile. “I swear, Theo, I’ll…”
“Cut me? Oh, I know.” I pick up another shirt and chuck it over her head. Her jaw ticks, and I grin. “Better get the knife, little lamb.”
Safia’s chest rises with dark, delicious resolution as she tilts her head. “Fine. But I warned you.”
Fine? Did she say fine?
Fuck…is my little lamb actually a wolf?
With anticipation and intrigue pulsing through my veins, I watch as Safia disappears into the kitchen.
She wouldn’t…
A moment later, she steps out, a long, shiny steel steak knife in her hand. She gives me a deadly smile, so raw and uninhibited that my cock twitches.
My greedy gaze soaks in the tight black pencil dress that’s lucky enough to hug her curves. I wonder how much that particular dress cost. I’d hate to shred a piece of her beloved couture. I stifle a laugh. Actually, I wouldn’t hate it at all.
“Good girls don’t play with knives, little lamb,” I rasp, stalking toward her. “Why don’t you leave the threats to the professionals?”
Something flashes across her face. Pride, perhaps? Or a secret? Something she has yet to share with me.
Safia lets out a heavy, forceful sigh as she rolls her neck. “I’d stop walking if I were you, Agent Kane.”
I pause mid step, only a couple of yards between us. Now, she’s caught my interest.
“And why is that?”
“Because…” Her conniving lips curl, revealing her straight white teeth, and then my eyes widen.
In one fluid motion, Safia rolls the blade between her fingers, tossing it in the air, and catching the handle with such ease it’s as if she did a stint at Quantico.
Hell, maybe even Langley. “You’re not the only one with special skills. ”
I blink down at her, amazed and oh-so-fucking turned on. “Again. Do it again.”
She smirks. “Stay back, Theodore, I’d hate to lose control and hurt you.”
“Honestly…” I cross my arms over my chest, the tip of my tongue coasting my bottom lip. “I’d pay to see you lose control.”
She chuckles under her breath, and then gives me a performance of a lifetime. With the blade midair, Safia spins on her toes, catching the knife, and within milliseconds, flipping it again so that it twirls in beautiful, mesmerizing circles.
“Now that’s a party trick,” I rasp, no longer heeding her warning as I strut toward her. She catches her breath, the knife held tightly in her hand. I stop in front of her, inches apart. Her breath fans against the side of my neck as I arch over and yank the knife from her hand. “My turn.”
“Careful, Theo…” Safia swallows, and the energy in the room shifts. “I just sharpened it.”
I smirk against her ear, coiling my left hand around her waist. “Well, in that case, you’d better stay real still, Safia. I’d hate to make you bleed.”
A shaky breath slips past her lips, her cheeks blossoming into an addictive shade of pink. “You wouldn’t hurt me,” she whispers, and I can fucking hear how fast her heart is pounding.
I pull away from her, the tip of the blade pointed at her chest. “Not on purpose, little lamb.” My gaze roams the collar of her dress, the way her breasts squeeze against the thick fabric. Too thick. But not for long. “Don’t move.”
“Why?” She swallows her question with a gasp as I flick my wrist, slicing through the material. Her eyes widen as the collar separates, revealing her lacey red bra. “You…”
“Shh…” I cock my head, nearly salivating as I drink her in. “I’m not done just yet.”
Safia stays frozen, like a goddess carved of the finest marble.
She doesn’t move. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t put me in a goddamn box.
She simply lets me…be me. And as I circle her like a vulture, as I cut the straps of her bra, as the hook is broken and destroyed, as she’s left standing before me exposed and fucking glorious, I know I’ll never want another woman for the rest of my godforsaken life.
Heaving, I stand in front of her, like a dog ready for a fucking treat. Safia’s chest rises and falls, her breasts expanding with every breath as she stares up at me, her eyes full of lust, and dare I say it, love.
Safia moans, scooping her full breasts into her slender hands, and my cock roars as she twists her nipples between her fingers.
“What now?” she whispers.
I drop the knife on the floor. “Now I fuck that needy little cunt of yours.” Safia gasps, stumbling backward as I lurch toward her, shredding apart the rest of her dress. “Bend over…” I slap her ass as she folds onto the dining room table. “That’s a good girl.”
Safia wiggles her ass at me as I fumble with my belt, the blood in my veins like lava. When the buckle hits the floor, I yank her panties to the side and drive inside her, the relief almost immediate. It’s like I was born to fuck her. Like her pussy was made for me.
“Fuck, baby…”
I wrap her long hair around my wrist and pull.
Hard. She loves it hard. Hard and fast and…
I inwardly chuckle. And deranged. So fucking deranged.
Her ass ripples as I slam into her, and I can feel her tighten around me.
She’s so goddamn reactive, so fucking beautiful.
Her screams fill the apartment, and I bask in the glory of her impending pleasure. She squeezes tighter and tighter and…
“Come for me, little wolf.”
“You first,” she moans, twisting her neck. She peers up at me through perfectly painted lashes. “Fill me, Agent Kane. I want to be dripping when you’re done.”
The big bang could have very well simply been a woman saying those exact fucking words.
Because as soon as her filthy plea hits my ears, I explode.
And so does she, creating new galaxies and stars and planets.
I collapse onto Safia, and we both catch our breaths, relishing in the twisted universe we’ve created.
After a moment of sweet, sated silence, Safia says, “You owe me a new dress.”
I chuckle against her bare back, leaving a trail of kisses in my wake as I peel away from her. “Let me guess…it’ll cost me a month’s salary.”
She smirks at me as she slowly stands up, her dress completely destroyed. “I’m sure you’ll find a way. You always do.”
I draw in a long, peaceful breath, stroking the outline of her perfect face.
“You’re mesmerizing, Safia. I just—” The tendons in my neck tighten.
“I can’t believe I found you. I can’t believe…
” A vision of an alternate future flashes through my mind, and I physically wince. “I can’t believe you stayed.”
She melts against my touch, closing her eyes. “You’re worth the risk of damnation.”
My fingers go rigid against her cheek. “If there is a heaven, I have no doubt that you’ll rule its capital.”
Her eyes fling open, and she smiles up at me. “Good thing I don’t believe in heaven.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because… I’d hate to spend eternity without you.”
I give her a playful grin. “Are you implying I’d go to hell?”
She hitches a coy shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
I lock my gaze with hers, my features hardening at that horrible possibility. In a strained, almost pathetic voice, I ask, “Do you think I’m a good man, Safia?”
She places a warm palm against my cheek. “Good doesn’t always mean right, Theo. Sometimes the right thing to do isn't the good thing to do.”
“So you have no regrets?” I ask, swallowing. “You’re not questioning your sanity?”
She chuckles. “I question my sanity every morning, but then you wake up and I know I’m completely of sound mind.” Goosebumps manifest across her chest and arms. “And body.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
I don’t need to clarify. She knows exactly what I’m asking. Does she wish for blood to stop spilling, for bodies to stop stacking, for souls to stop departing?
She looks deep into my eyes, deeper than I’ve ever let any person look. I wonder what she sees. A part of me, the part that believes in fate and chance, thinks she might see herself.
God, I hope she does.
“I study evil for a living, Theodore,” she finally says. “Unless they stop, I don’t see a reason why you should.” She drags her hand down my chest, pausing where my heart hammers under layers of skin and muscles and bone. “In the dark, be whoever you want to be. I’ll be here when you get home.”
“And you’ll still love me?”
“I’ll adore you.” She smiles up at me, and my purpose has never been so damn clear. “Maybe one day, I’ll even write a book about you.”
Contentment settles on my stiff shoulders. “What would you call it? The book?”
She purses her plump lips, and then her eyes brighten. “Nightfall. I’d call it Nightfall.”
And that’s the beauty of dwelling in the dusk of day, you learn that even shadows find love.